These pearls are manufactured for you from organic potato starch which comes from organic potatoes grown in the pristine Finnish countryside.

Enjoy your pearls in hot porridges, puddings, pancakes, sweet desserts and pies. Or improve the texture of your casseroles and meatballs with pearls.

Our pearls have a mild taste, making them a favourite with everyone in the family – babies as well as seniors and everyone in between. This product is organic and Kosher certified as well as Halal certified. And if you have special dietary requirements such as coeliac, vegan or low allergies, this is for you.

Ingredients: organic potato starch, citric acid (E330)

Resistant Starch 24g/100g

Organic SAGO Pearls are free from

gluten

allergens

gmo’s

milk and dairy

egg

Organic SAGO Pearls are

Vegan and vegetarian

with no added salt or sugar

a good source of resistant starch

Kosher certified

Halal certified

We will be exhibiting at BioFach in Germany 10.-13.2.2016 at Finland national stand. Finnish top chef Kim Palhus will be there preparing Finnish food including some of the below. Come over and taste the Sago potato pearl and meet us in Hall 5 – Stand 131!

Looking forward to meeting you at BioFach!

Recipes

SAGO Potato Porridge (4 servings)

1 litre milk

2,5 dl organic Sago pearls

1 tsp salt

1 tbs butter

Bring the milk to a boil and then add the Pearls. Simmer for 8 minutes while stirring constantly. Take the pot off the heat, put the lid on and allow the porridge to steep for 1-2 minutes. Add salt and butter according to your taste.

SAGO pearl pudding – gluten free (5 servings)

8 dl milk

2 dl Sago potato pearls

¾ tsp salt

1 Tbsp. butter or margarine

2 Tbsp. sugar

2 tsp vanilla sugar

2 eggs

Bring the milk to the boil and then add the Sago potato pearls. Allow to simmer for 8 minutes, stirring constantly. Remove from the heat and allow the porridge to steep for 1-2 minutes, with the lid on. Add salt to taste and a knob of butter.

Add the rest of the ingredients. Mix well.

Pour the mixture into a greased oven dish. Bake for 20 minutes at 200 °C. Serve warm with lingonberry kissel.

Lingonberry kissel

2 dl lingonberry juice

3 dl water

2 Tbsp. Organic potato starch

2 Tbsp. sugar

1 tsp vanilla sugar

Add juice and water to a saucepan. Add the potato starch and sugar.

Bring to simmering point, stirring all the time. Add the vanilla sugar and allow to cool.

Vegetable chicken casserole – gluten and lactose free (4 servings)

300 g L´uomunokka´s boneless chicken breast, cut into strips

100 g diced fresh onion

500 g vegetable strips (frozen)

1 ½ dl Sago potato pearls

2 dl heavy cream

2 dl water

¾ tsp salt

½ tsp freshly ground black pepper

Fry the chicken strips in a frying pan. Add the onion and fry together for a minute. Add the vegetables and Sago potato pearls. Transfer this to a greased casserole dish.

Mix the rest of the ingredients in a bowl and add to the chicken mixture. Press down the surface with a spatula. Bake at 200 °C for about 45 minutes.

At BioFach in Germany 2 weeks ago I realised I had visited the show 21 consecutive years and most years exhibiting. Now I am heading to expo west in Anaheim, CA, which is a very different show but nevertheless the nro 1 show for organics in North America. This is only the 3rd time in a row to visit expo west but I’ve been there a couple of times in previous years so probably my 6th visit there.

Our organic potato starch has been distributed in North America for a few years now by Ciranda Inc. and we are just now starting with the organic oats after finalising the qualification process to be sure everything goes right when it is launched. You will find Ciranda Inc at expo west – or more precisely at engredea in Hall A, Booth 344. Engredea is the ingredients side show linked to expo west.

Organic potato starch is a remarkable product in terms of natural functionality. With functionality we mean water binding, viscosity forming, moisture barrier, gluing, carrier etc. It has the best functionality among the major native starches and in many applications the only starch that offers functionality. This is because it has the best water binding and viscosity creating capacity but even more because it functions in lower temperatures than f.ex. corn or tapioca starch. In many cases it is the only native starch that functions in the temperatures that are relevant in the food process. This becomes very interesting when you need to develop organic products where on the conventional side you would use modified starches or other hydrocolloids. Suddenly you need to understand more about native starches than what is necessary in the mainstream industry. For further flexibility in designing the process we also offer cold-swelling (pre-gel) organic potato starch. We can offer application support in your specific product development cases. On the consumer market we are seeing increasing interest in potato starch as the best source of resistant starch. Come and visit us at Ciranda’s booth to learn more!

From a North-American perspective oats comes mostly from the northern parts of the continent, Canada being the main producer. Likewise in Europe oats is mainly produced in Northern Europe and Finland is the biggest producer of organic oats in Europe. With a small population of only 5 million we cannot eat it all, so it has always been also exported. The popularity of oats has been increasing in recent years all over the world – and for a good reason. It is tasty, versatile to use and healthy. Oat betaglucan contributes to lowering blood cholesterol levels, which is a recognised health claim both in USA (FDA) and in the EU (EFSA). Oats is naturally gluten-free although most operators can not guarantee it due to contamination with wheat along the value-chain. However for someone who is not celiac diagnosed but follows a gluten-free diet for well-being, oats is certainly a safe choice. (Fazer oats are not certified gluten-free.) Through Ciranda Inc. we offer oat flakes (rolled oats), steel-cut oats and oat flour to the North American market and we hope to contribute to this growing market. An other reason to come and visit us at Ciranda’s booth and learn more!

Both the organic potato starch and organic oats enter the North American market based on the EU-USA organic equivalence agreement. For organic potato starch we can offer third countries also NOP certified organic potato starch. If you are NOP certified in a third country this enables you to use our organic potato starch in your NOP certified products.

I will be present through the whole expo west -show, but feel free to contact me for arranging a meeting. Email erkki (at) organic-finland.com

An obligatory system for measuring the environmental performance of processors and traders has been proposed by the Commission. Three reports with recommendations on organic processing practices, additives, flavour and processing aids delivered by the Expert Group for Technical Advice in Organic Production (EGTOP) in 2014. IFOAM EU proposed a way to reach the 100% organic ingredient concepts. All this happened in 2014. It is now the moment for stakeholders to discuss and to support the further progress of organic processing and trading towards the next level of sustainability

In October I participated in the IFOAM Organic World Conference in Istanbul. The IFOAM World Conferences are not really about business even though some market data is available in some presentations. It is more about the content; about what organic farming and organics in general is about. There would be a lot to tell about, but here I want to talk about a book I bought there. André Leu is the President of IFOAM but he is also an organic farmer and he has written a book – published in 2014 – about pesticides: “The Myths of Safe Pesticides“. For someone like myself who has been in organics for decades there isn’t so much in the book that is really news, but putting it all together in a concise presentation of all the facts is impressive – and shocking. This is something more people should be aware of and therefore I’m doing my little part in promoting the book and giving a short review of the content. You should all buy the book from IFOAM and read it.

André works through 5 myths:

The “Rigorously Tested” Myth

The “Very Small Amount” Myth

The “Breakdown” Myth

The “Reliable Regulatory Authority” Myth

The “Pesticides are Essential to Farming” Myth

In the following I’ll highlight some main points. Read the book for more details and the arguments for each point.

André Leu speaking at the IFOAM Organic World Conference in Istanbul 15th October 2014.

Current toxicity testing fail to represent the nature of human exposure to chemicals.

The actual chemical cocktails in food and water are not tested for.

The combination of pesticides with toxins produced by GMO-plants (Bt) is not tested for.

Only single active chemicals are tested, not the actual combinations that are used. F.ex. Roundup (commercial product) is much more toxic than glyphosate (active ingredient).

Pesticides are compounds with active ingredients and “inerts” (solvents, adjuvents, surfactants etc). Only single active ingredients are tested even though their toxicity increases by multiple factors (up to 1000 x in some cases) when combined the inerts. Most inerts are toxic.

Only acute toxicity is tested to determine the LD50 (lethal dose). Adverse effects must occur within 2 weeks of the chemical being administered to be considered. Other health issues including cancers, birth defects, nervous system damage etc are not considered.

ADI (acceptable daily intake) and MRL (maximum residue limit) are not set for any formulated products – they are only set for the “active ingredient”.

The vast majority of registered pesticide and veterinary products have not been tested.

The special sensitivity of the developing foetus and newborn are not taken into account in testing. The testing is typically done with animals in their adolescence.

Nervous system damage is not tested even though it is known that many pesticides function as nerve poisons that can affect adversely children’s neurological development.

Pesticide damage can occur in subsequent generations.

2. The “Very Small Amount” Myth

“The residues are too small to cause any problems.”

Most pesticide residues are below the ADI (acceptable daily intake) and MRL (maximum residue limit) set by authorities and therefore the food is said to be safe.

However there are problems as described above.

Especially the fact that chemicals can act like hormones means that much lower residue levels can be toxic. These are called endocrine disruptions.

Can cause reproductive problems in humans and animals.

Can cause decreasing age of breast development in girls and is considered a risk factor for developing breast cancer later in life.

Can cause obesity and type 2 diabetes.

Fetuses, newbores and growing children are most vulnerable.

The dose-response is not necessarily linear; in some cases the lowest doses can be more toxic that higher doses.

Glyphosate at residue levels commonly found in people induce human breast cancer cells to multiply – even more so if combined with genistein, a phytoestrogen found in soybean (glyphosate usage has vastly increased with planting of GMO soybean).

Close to 800 chemicals are known or suspected to interfere with hormone receptors, hormone synthesis or hormone conversion. Most chemicals have not been tested.

Regulatory authorities have no scientific basis or evidence supporting the assumption that exposure to chemical residues is safe at recommended levels.

3. The “Breakdown” Myth

“Modern pesticides rapidly biodegrade.”

Most agricultural and veterinary chemicals leave residues in food (that’s why they are tested).

Most pesticides leave residues of breakdown products or daughter chemicals when they degrade. Where there is any research, it shows that many of these metabolites cause health and reproductive problems. Many organophosphates’ metabolites are more toxic (up to 100 x) than the original pesticide.

Apart from break-down products pesticides contain impurities and by-products from the manufacturing process which are largely ignored by regulatory authorities. These include dioxins.

There is virtually no testing to detect residues and by-products of pesticides in our food and water and there are no safety levels for those chemicals.

Because not all chemicals are tested for it is not correct to say that any food is free of residues.

4. The “Reliable Regulatory Authority” Myth

“Trust us – we have it all under control.”

It is claimed that there is no risk when chemicals are used as per “Good Agricultural Practices”. However how farmers use chemicals is not monitored.

In developing countries many of the farmers using the chemicals are illiterate and often also the sales agents who are supposed to advice them are illiterate.

Consequently the highest rates of pesticide poisonings are among farmers, their families, farm workers and in rural communities in the developing world.

In developed countries food is tested for residues. However food is considered safe if residues are below MRL’s. Weather residues below MRL’s are safe is highly questionable (for reasons described above).

Regulatory authorities disregard a large body of published science that shows that the current methods of determining the safety of agricultural poisons are grossly inadequate. Instead authorities rely on unpublished industry studies commissioned for regulatory purposes.

Authorities do not take preventive action but instead take action only after years of public concern of the civil society and scientific community.

Regulatory authorities using unpublished, non-peer-reviewed, industry sponsored studies should be seen as a major problem in current regulatory decision making process.

5. The “Pesticides are Essential to Farming” Myth

“We will starve to death without pesticides.”

Organic farming methods clearly show that using pesticides and other chemicals in farming is not necessary.

There are several examples of high-yielding organic systems from all over the world.

Organic farming is successful despite virtually all agricultural research has focused on chemical industrial agriculture for the last 100 years.

85% of the world’s farmers are smallholders and 70% of the world’s food is produced by smallholders. Organic farming can increase production on smallholder farms up 3 times current production levels.

According to FAO , with a more than 100% increase in food production in traditional farming systems in developing countries, organic agriculture provides an ideal solution to end hunger and ensure global food security. This is without farmers needing to rely on inputs they cannot afford.

Pesticides can be replaced with non-chemical methods.

In the above I have just picked some points from the book. I recommend reading the book with al the arguments and facts that are behind these points. In the meantime if you are not sure that pesticides and other chemicals are safe for you, our children and the environment, it might be better to avoid them.

Fazer Mill & Mixes has invested in a new oat mill in Lahti, Finland. The mill has now been in operation since the summer 2013 and is one of the most modern oat mills in the world. Fazer wants to respond to the increasing demand of oats in the world by offering excellent Finnish oats. Fazer Mill & Mixes is already renowned for its high-quality rye and wheat products.

”A lot of untreated oat is exported from Finland, but we at Fazer want to add value to the oats and export ready- made products which require good professional skills” says the Director of Fazer Mill & Mixes Pekka Mäki-Reinikka.

Finland is well known as a producer of the highest quality oats. Finland also has a lot of organic farming with 9% of the arable field area certified organic with a growth of 11% per year (2012). The most popular grain in organic production in Finland is oats because it adapts well to organic farming in Nordic conditions and gives consistent high quality yields. Finland is globally one of the biggest producers of organic oats. Finland’s official target to reach 20% organic field area by 2020 gives confidence that sufficient raw-material will be available.

Fazer is one of the biggest millers of organic grain in Finland. Fazer’s goal is that a significant part of the new oat mill’s production will be certified organic for export markets. With this in mind Fazer has decided to enter into cooperation with Organic Food Finland who has a long experience in export of organic products and knows well the organic grain market and specifically the oats market. Erkki Pöytäniemi at Organic Food Finland will use his wide contact network and market knowledge to develop the export. Fazer Mill & Mixes will be exhibiting at BioFach 2014 in Nuremberg, Germany in February 2014. ”I am excited that we can offer high-quality Finnish organic oat flakes to the growing organic market in Europe and elsewhere. This is a win-win for the Finnish organic farmers, Fazer and the increasing number of demanding customers and consumers around the world.” Erkki Pöytäniemi says.

Oat flakes and other oat products now available from Fazer Mill & Mixes.

Fazer Mill & Mixes has started a brand new Oat Mill with state-of-the-art technology in Finland in September 2013. Fazer’s oat mill represents the very latest production technology which allows us to create a wide range of high quality products. The new oat mill enables us to complement our product range with oat products but also rye and wheat flakes.

Our portfolio is primarily intended for bakeries and the food industry including oat flakes with different technical properties as well as stabilized kernels and steel cut oats. As raw material we use only Finnish oats which is available also in organically-grown. The package sizes are 10 or 20 kg paper bags and big bags (500 – 1000 kg).

Our quality portfolio of organic products comprises the following products:

O 2000 BIO Organic heat-treated oats

O 2000 SC BIO Organic steel cut oats

O 2000 P BIO Organic pressed oats

O 2000 JF BIO Organic jumbo oat flakes

O 2000 TF BIO Organic thick oat flakes

O 2000 F BIO Organic oat flakes

O 2000 IF BIO Organic instant oat flakes

Organic Wholemeal oat flour

Organic Oat bran

R 1800 P BIO Organic pressed rye

R 1800 F BIO Organic rye flake

V 1700 F BIO Organic wheat flake

Fazer Group

Fazer is an international family-owned company offering bakery, confectionery and biscuit products as well as contract catering, restaurant and café services. Fazer operates in eight countries and exports to more than 40 countries. The company’s success, ever since its establishment in 1891, has been based on the best product and service quality, beloved brands and skillful people. Fazer’s operations comply with ethical principles that are based on the Group’s values and the UN Global Compact.

The company operates in two business areas. Among Fazer Brands’ well-known delicacies are tasty baked goods and confectionery. Fazer Food Services offers good food and tailor-made services in contract catering. Fazer Group’s net sales in 2012 amounted to nearly 1.7 billion euros and the company has over 15,000 employees.

Fazer Mill & Mixes was created in 1971 on Sven Fazer’s initiative to secure the supply of flour of high quality and competitive price for Fazer’s bakeries. First, the mill delivered flour only to Fazer’s own production units, but in 1990 Fazer Mill & Mixes started sales to external customers as well as exports. This provided the mill a strong impetus for growth and since 2008 Fazer Mill & Mixes has been the largest commercial mill in Finland and the second largest one in the Nordic countries, milling wheat and rye flour.

The production of special mixes started in the 1990s and in 2003, the previous major investment was made in a new mixing plant. Fazer Mill & Mixes has grown into the biggest producer of special grain mixes (bakery mixes) in Northern Europe.

Some 15 per cent of the production of Fazer Mill & Mixes is exported. The annual milling quantities of wheat are around 100,000 tons and of rye, slightly over 50,000 tons.

When you bake you want to have a leavening effect in the dough, i.e. somehow incorporate gas bubbles in the dough or batter to make the final product lighter and softer. How is this achieved? The most traditional method – and certainly still the best if you want to bake quality bread – is using sourdough. 19th century bakers also used brewers yeast and it was only in the early 20th century that commercial baker’s yeast as we know it became available.

Sourdough and yeast are biological methods of leavening the dough by fermenting sugars in the dough into carbon dioxide (CO2) and ethanol. On the other hand soda and baking powder are chemical leavening agents. The purpose is to create CO2 gas and steam (water) in the dough in an easily manageable way. Soda and baking powder are used in quick breads and cakes, as well as cookies and numerous other applications where a biological fermentation is impractical or undesirable. Used as a leavening agent, baking powder lightens texture and increases the volume of baked goods such as muffins, cakes, pancakes, and cookies.

Baking powders were used already in the mid 19th century and became widespread in the early 20th century. It is interesting to realize that baking powder was commercialized earlier than baker’s yeast.

What is Baking Powder?

Baking powder is a dry leavening agent, a mixture of a weak alkali and a weak acid and a bulking agent (starch). Baking powder works by releasing carbon dioxide gas into a batter or dough through an acid-base reaction, causing bubbles in the wet mixture to expand and thus leavening the mixture.

The alkaline component is baking soda (sodium bicarbonate). The acid can be either fast-acting (reacts in room temperatures) or slow-acting (reacts in high temperatures, i.e. in the oven) while baking powders containing both are called double-acting. However the slow-acting acids are not allowed in organic products* so only fast-acting acids can be used in organic baking powder.

Baking soda is the source of the CO2 gas, and the acid-base reaction can be generically represented as

NaHCO3 + H+ → Na+ + CO2 + H2O,

where CO2 (carbon dioxide), water (steam) and salts are the result of the acid-base reaction.

If the dough contains acidic ingredients it is not necessary to use baking powder as baking soda will react with the acids in the dough.

Starch is used as a bulking agent in baking powder for two main reasons:

To absorb moisture. This is important for preventing the components from reacting with each other prematurely and thereby for the shelf life of the baking powder.

For better and more even mixing and more accurate measurement.

Double Function Baking Powder

Both corn starch and potato starch are used as bulking agents in Baking Powders but potato starch is a functional bulking agent and has clear advantages:

low swelling temperature

excellent protective film-making properties

increases leavening effect

reduces moisture migration

potato starch is 100% allergen-free including gluten-free

potato starch is 100% GMO-free.

Potato starch starts to swell at less than 60 degrees Celsius and reaches maximum at 80 Celsius. After this point the starch granules start to break and form a gel. In a baking process this increases the leavening effect of Baking Powder by forming a protective film inside the gas bubbles thereby preventing the gas from escaping and the dough from falling. By comparison corn starch does not have a similar effect as it starts to swell at much higher temperatures and won’t function in baking temperatures.

Similarly a protective film is formed on the surface of the baked product. The result is a more crispy product and reduced moisture migration. For example cookies stay crispy for a longer time. This effect – if desirable – can be enhanced by adding more potato starch than what is already in the Aloja Baking Powder.

The main difference between potato starch and corn starch – or any other starch for that matter – is the lower swelling temperature of potato starch. This is also the key issue why potato starch is better than corn starch as a carrier in Baking Powder. Actually we can say that Aloja Starkelsen has created a Double Function Baking Powderby using potato starch.

Organic Blueberry Muffins (including Organic Baking Powder) on their way into the oven….

Potato starch is clean with no known allergy issues and it is gluten-free. There are no GMO potatoes grown in Europe which eliminated any risk of GMO contamination.

… and after 35 minutes in the over.

Why Organic Baking Powder?

Baking powder is not your typical organic product as it is not food as such. However over half of baking powder is actually starch – which in an organic product must be organic – while the other half are the soda and acid. We offer baking powder as bulk to organic manufacturers and as a consumer packed product.

A manufacturer of baked products in which baking powder is used has two choices: to buy organic baking powder or to buy the components of baking powder separately and blend them on-site. For a small and mid-size operator it is more efficient to buy an accurately blended baking powder from a professional manufacturer. Inaccurate blending can result in residues and off-flavor in the final product.

For a consumer blending is not an option. Most Baking Powders that are available in supermarkets contain corn starch which cannot be guaranteed to be Gmo-free and don’t offer the same functionality as potato starch. Double acting baking powders can contain aluminium. However the Aloja Organic Baking Powder is thanks to potato starch double functioning and it is a certified organic product.

Applications

Baking powder is used in bakeries in muffins, cakes, cookies, biscuits and fast breads. It can also be used in deep frying to create crispy coatings or in fried sweets. The dosage is the same as for conventional baking powder: 1 teaspoon of baking powder for 1 cup of flour or approximately 2% of the flour.

Due to the equivalency agreement between the EU and the USA all organic products (with a few exceptions) that are certified organic according to EU regulation 834/2007 in a EU member state and shipped to the USA or Canada can be sold and labeled as organic in those countries. USDA: Importing organic products from the European Union.

Especially beef and sheep producers have converted to organic farming in recent years, reports Evira who is responsible for control and certification of organic production in Finland. 4300 farms out of a total of 60000 farms in Finland are certified organic. In 2013 206000 hectares where certified which is 9% of the Finnish field area.

Organic farms are relatively large: 48 ha field compared to just 39 hectares on conventional farms. During recent years some big cereal farms have converted to organic farming and started with beef or sheep farming. Increasing organic acreage and production is the target of the Finnish government.

Organic animal farms are in average twice as large as organic farms in general. Field is needed so that required pasture areas are available for the animals. In average an organic farm has 40 dairy or suckling cows. The number animals on organic farms is also higher than on conventional farms which have in average 30 cows. Big organic farms need to partner with smaller grain-farms around them to secure enough fodder.

Protein is a challenge

The increase in organic farms has also increased the demand of organic feed. The number of certified organic feed companies has doubled during the last two years. Several big industrial feed manufacturers have added organic feed in their program. There is huge demand for domestically produced organic rape seed as a source of protein feed. Organic rape seed is grown without neonicotinoids which are chemical pesticides that have created a huge debate recently for harming bees.

The most common sectors for certified organic manufacturers to operate are meat and bakery industries and vegetable and berry product manufacturers.

After the two year transition period came to an end on July 1, 2012, the official EU organic leaf logo is now obligatory on all pre-packaged organic food products produced in EU Members States which meet the necessary standards, however it remains optional for non-packed and imported organic products. Private, regional or national labels may continue to exist alongside the EU logo. Under a series of bilateral deals signed with third countries, non-EU organic products may be recognized if produced “under the same or equivalent conditions as EU producers”. However, their labels must clearly state the source of the product. Find out more HERE andHERE.